This specification relates, in general, to vehicle sealer application systems.
Flowable sealer material is applied to various locations in a vehicle body during vehicle assembly such as to panel and to seal gaps between welded or fastened panels. The sealer is a flowable material applied by robot applicators or by operator manipulated applicators.
Excess applied sealer is removed for quality purposes by manual scraping. The excess sealer is stored in barrels and then disposed of following toxic material disposal procedures.
The excess sealer constitutes a hazardous waste and thereby poses hazardous waste generation and disposal issues. In addition, the cost of the excess waste sealer is lost money affecting the overall cost of manufacturing the vehicle.
There is a need to provide a method for recycling the excess sealer which reduces hazardous waste generation and provides a significant sealer material cost savings.